Rizomm
Cremisan Valley, Palestine
Tilburg, Netherlands
Rizomm, derived from the Greek "rhíza" [ῥῐ́ζᾰ] (root) and the Arabic "omm" [أم] (mother), is both an installation and a production space where seeds are planted to cultivate new forms of image-making.
Rizomm buries photosensitive film in soil, allowing natural processes, aided by earthworms, to create images. Each installation connects various landscapes and times by exhibiting previously buried films. The presently exhibited film was buried in the Cremisan Valley, in Palestine in April 2024, as part of an artist residency at the Wonder Cabinet in Bethlehem.
Rizomm explores soil as both origin and destination, acting as an intermediary between the past and future. This installation captures a snapshot of a given landscape at a specific moment, approaching image-making as a collaborative process between humans and the living environment.Blurring the lines between installation and photography, Rizomm delves into biophotography and photographic objects. In each installation, a photosensitive film is buried beneath the soil, allowing the environment, rather than human hands, to create the image. Amongst other lifeforms, earthworms play a crucial role, tunneling through the soil and enabling light to reach the photosensitive surface, thus forming the image on the photosensitive surface. Each installation also exhibits the previously buried film, establishing a connection between the different landscapes and times where the installation has existed.
Rizomm views photography as a hyperobject, as described by Timothy Morton—an entity so vast it eludes human control. In this sense, we are like yeasts activating the dough of photography and giving it new life. Inspired by the works of Hannah Fletcher at the Sustainable Darkroom and Yannick Vernet at La Cellule - ENSP, this installation sees image-making as a living, constantly evolving organism.The installation features a set of prints on fabric displaying the positives of previously buried films. At the center, a smaller transparent cube protects the newly buried film during its exposure, serving both as a magnifying lens and as a display for the project’s title and description.
